Sasol Secunda Operations launched a massive five-day COVID-19 vaccination drive
Sasol Secunda Operations launched a massive five-day COVID-19 vaccination drive in partnership with the government of Mpumalanga. This is in preparation for its upcoming annual maintenance shutdown, which is expected to involve nearly 20 000 workers this year, among them Sasol employees.
The Premier of Mpumalanga, Mrs Refilwe Maria Mtshweni-Tsipane, spoke to the dignitaries at Sasol Recreational Club, “We are expecting about 8000 employees (Sasol) and 11000 contractors to be vaccinated.”
Mrs Refilwe Maria Mtshweni-Tsipane said that the COVID pandemic has been with us for nearly two years now and Government has put some measures in place to try and curb the spread of the virus.
“This launch of the vaccination rollout is a significant milestone for us,” she said, “as other industry players have also shown interest in being part of this program.”
Mrs Refilwe Maria Mtshweni-Tsipane said that their ultimate target would be 65% herd immunity within our communities. “If we achieve this we would have curbed the spread of the virus and there would be a possibility of going back to living our lives as normal. We might even be able to take off our masks and go back to our normal way of living.”
She said that it is concerning that only about 67% of the elderly have been vaccinated in this district. She also stated that it is a mammoth task to try and get to 65% of the 4,5m people living in Mpumalanga. There are about 105 sites that are vaccinating but people are slow to come and receive the vaccination.
Mtshweni-Tsipane encourages everyone to take part in the program and be vaccinated.
While Sasol will do its best to ensure that all COVID-19 health and safety guidelines and protocols are be observed throughout its maintenance shutdown, the company is launching the vaccination drive as an added measure to safeguard all those who will be involved in the activity.
“By getting a vaccine, individuals do not only protect themselves they also protect their loved ones, their colleagues and their community”, said Mashudu Ndou, Vice President and Head Corporate of Community Affairs for Sasol Secunda Operations.
As this is a partnership, the government of Mpumalanga through its health department has made available important resources such as trained personnel and vaccines to support this large-scale vaccination drive. Furthermore, Premier Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane and Health MEC Sasekani Manzini will attend the launch event of the drive, where they will also tour the state-of-the-art Sasol Medical Centre in Secunda.
The Sasol maintenance shutdown will take place from 30 August to 24 September 2021, and will comprise service provider employees from different regions.
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